Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Submission Number: 13744
Decision Date: December 22, 2025
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Brianna Oliveira
Student Email: 22yct@queensu.ca

Course: CHEM 281
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: MICR 271
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: PHGY 215
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: BCHM 218
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Category: Request aegrotat (AG) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Mark Ormiston

Dear Brianna,  

I have reviewed your petition to drop CHEM 281, MICR 271 and PHGY 215 (F24) after the academic deadline and for Aegrotat Standing in BCHM 218 (F24). After reviewing your file, I regret to inform you that I am unable to grant all of your requests however, I want to assure you that this decision was made in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the Faculty of Arts and Science Academic Petition and Appeal Regulations.

I have granted your request to drop CHEM 281, MICR 271 and PHGY 215 (F24) after the academic deadline due to the timeline, severity and academic impacts of extenuating circumstances as confirmed within the documentation that you supplied. Your final grades in these courses will be replaced with a DR notation on your transcript once this has been processed by the office of the University Registrar.

Regarding your request for Aegrotat Standing in BCHM 218 (F24), according to the Academic Appeal and Petition Regulation 1.7.1.3, Aegrotat standing is available only in cases where the student has met the essential learning outcomes based on the work that they were able to complete in the course. After reviewing your individual grades with the instructor of BCHM 218, it was found that you aren’t eligible for Aegrotat Standing as the instructor confirmed that the essential learning outcomes are measured from the missed final exam.

I want you to know that I also explored other academic options, including Credit Standing and the possibility of dropping BCHM 218 after the academic deadline. Under Appeal and Petition Regulation 1.7.1.4, Credit Standing is reserved for a course in which a student has completed all of the work of the class, including the final examination, and achieved a passing grade. While I understand that you were not able to write the final exam due to the extenuating circumstances that you presented within your petition request, you are not eligible for Credit Standing based on the regulation. Additionally, as you successfully passed BCHM 218 and received credit for this course, it is not eligible to be dropped.

Moving forward, if you are concerned with the impact that this course has on your GPA, an academic option that I would suggest you consider is to repeat BCHM 218 in a future term. When repeating the exact same course code, both attempts will appear on your transcript however, only the higher grade will be included within the calculation of your cumulative GPA.

I would suggest that you consider registering with Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) if you have not done so already, so that you can obtain ongoing support from an Accessibility Advisor who can help manage the ongoing impact of your health on your academics.

Additionally, if you wish to appeal this decision, you can submit an appeal to the Board of Studies. Information on the appeal process and deadlines is available at queensu.ca/artsci/undergraduate/student-services/academic-petitions-and-appeals (click on “Second Level”). The Office of the University Ombudsperson offers guidance on student rights and procedural fairness at queensu.ca/ombuds/appeal-process/procedural-fairness, and they are also available to support you at queensu.ca/ombuds.

I hope that you continue to seek out the support and resources available to you, and I wish you the best in navigating your next steps.

Sincerely,

Dorit Naaman, PhD 
Associate Dean (Academic)